Independent Cartel of Acapulco

The Independent Cartel of Acapulco is a Mexican drug cartel based in Acapulco, Guerrero, founded in 2010. The cartel was formed as the result of Mexico's war on the Beltran Leyva Cartel; after many of the cartel's top leaders were arrested, its top lieutenants killed, and its drug shipments were interrupted, the smaller, more agile Acapulco cartel was formed. The cartel was composed mostly of former Beltran Leyva Cartel members loyal to Edgar Valdez Villarreal, and some members of this new cartel split and formed the rival La Barredora gang. The cartel's hitmen were known for flaying the faces of their victims and placing them on car seats around the city, for extorting taxi drivers, and for using speedboats to carry South American drugs northward. The cartel was allied with the Beltran Leyva Cartel, while it was rivals with La Barredora and the Sinaloa Cartel.